Lighting

Many of the more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines lack access to electricity, so after the sun goes down light usually comes by way of kerosene lamps. While cheap, these fire hazards are bad for the environment and human health. This, combined with the cost of keeping them burning has given one startup the impetus to build a better solution. The SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) lamp burns for eight hours at a time running on only a glass of water and two teaspoons of salt.

In exceptional circumstances, the camera flash on a typical smartphone
is bright enough to double up as a flashlight. With the addition of
Travelamp, your smartphone can use this bright light as an impromptu
bedside lamp or nightlight.
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There's nothing like putting your foot down in a powerful car to raise your heart-rate – and a new Lexus concept car can demonstrate exactly that. Working with M&C Saatchi, Lexus Australia has rigged up a one-off RC F V8 coupe so that its paintwork flashes in time with the heartbeat of a person inside.

The number of LED bulbs on the market has exploded in recent years, and with them has come a dizzying array of so-called smart bulbs featuring wireless connectivity and control, allowing users to set options for colors, schedules, and remote on/off functions. Although most of these look and perform similarly, consumer experience still varies as it generally comes down to the execution of the companion app. So how do the devices in MiPow’s Playbulb Studio compare? We lit up these LED bulbs to see how well they shine.

Smart LED lightbulbs typically let you change their color. Some provide
more advanced functionality, like simple automation. The new Ilumi
smartbulb, however, has a host of features that make it far more
versatile than others. It's also said to be brighter and more energy
efficient.

Philips has opened a new facility for developing tailored LED "light recipes" for indoor farming. The GrowWise City Farming research center in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, will be used to study how light can maximize the quality and yield of different crops. The aim is to help producers grow tasty and healthy food indoors all year round.

Our increasingly hectic lifestyles mean even the keenest bibliophiles are often forced to ration their reading. What many people need is a space dedicated to their books, which are ready and waiting to be picked up and read whenever the opportunity arises. LiliLite may just fulfill those requirements.

Mini is demonstrating a new technology that would allow electric vehicle (EV) drivers to charge their vehicles from street lights. The Light and Charge system would also provide efficient LED lighting. The system is being showcased the carmaker's plant in Oxford, UK, as part of Low Carbon Oxford Week.

Over 130 years ago, Thomas Edison used carbon as the conducting filament in the very first commercial light-bulb. Now a team of scientists and engineers have used that very same element, in its perfectly crystalline form of graphene, to create what they claim to be the world's thinnest light-bulb. Even though just one atom thick and covering an area almost too small to see unaided, the new device is so bright that the light it produces can easily be seen with the naked eye.
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Some notable advances have taken place in the world of LED lighting of late. From Ikea's flexible lighting tiles to Phillips' $5 bulbs, those looking to switch off their incandescent globes for good have plenty of practical and quirky options to choose from. But, just as it did with vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and air purifiers, Dyson has arrived and is promising a superior solution. Inventor Jake Dyson says the company has built the first light that cools LEDs properly, enabling them to last 37 years.